New Nurses in the Philippines Are Being Used and Abused

I feel bad that nurses--after hurdling years of study, spending so much time and effort on duty, spending sleepless nights, and then reviewing for and taking the board, they have to work as professional volunteers in hospitals. To make matters worse, they have to pay the hospital to volunteer. The system is really abusive!

Alright look, we can say that there are just too many of them that they have to figuratively fight for a slot to be on duty at the hospital just to gain experience before going somewhere else. But that is not an excuse to hire them, not pay them, and let them pay.

You see, I have been hospitalized twice this December, and i have talked with the several nurses that have been on duty while I was there. And indeed, some of them come from different cities and have to pay board and lodging. They have to have their uniforms, eat, and also pay transportation. A lot of them work the graveyard shift. It is so sad that nurses have to come to that.

That is why i can't blame them for wanting to go to the United States or other foreign countries that pay them more--because they are abused here in our own country. Imagine paying so much for college expenses just to take up nursing, then pay for reviews, and then the board. If you don't pass the first time, you have to do it all over again.

Yeah, I know, some parents are to blame for wanting their children to become nurses just so they could go abroad. Granting that is the case. But it is still no excuse to treat them this way.

You know why? The hospital where I was admitted was not overstaffed. It is not as if the volunteer nurses are just watching. I noticed that almost all of them who do the rounds were volunteers. For every 5 volunteer nurses, I see one that is employed by the hospital. It seems that when nurses resign from the hospital, they are not replaced anymore, instead the services of the volunteer nurses are being taken advantage of. It seems that there is only a supervisor and one regular working nurse on the shift.

It is very sad that the plight of nurses has come to this. If you come to think of it, in the light of the circumstance, I think it is better if one takes up a secretarial course or something. Or take up Commerce or any AB course and work in an office. You don't have to take the board exam and and when you start as a trainee, you get paid immediately with compensation for trainees until you get on probationary status.

But not so with nurses. They have to spend years of their mind, body, and resources in order to go abroad and earn a decent income.

Although parents and incoming students should really consider their options when trying to find the right course in college, that is already a future plan. That should really reduce the number of students taking up nursing and stop the trends of making our country as a nurse factory.

But on the other hand, I hope someone will look into the plight of nurses in our country. This is the present situation. I know that nursing is a noble profession that is more of service and care, but how can nurses be able to give them when they themselves are not taken care of? They could not give what they don't have. And I believe nobody lives alone. These volunteer nurses have families, the families have needs, and so do the nurses. They have personal needs, too.

Who will really fight for them?